In normal use, the coupling between trailer and towing vehicle must be secure in one position for stability at driving speeds. When coupling the two vehicles together, however, it is desirable to have some flexibility in hitch position to reduce the precision required in relative positioning of the vehicles. A hitch that can be moved about for coupling and locked into a precise and secure position for towing is needed. In the prior art, several approaches have been suggested Prior art Patents that are representative are listed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,986
U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,445
U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,900
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,908
U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,576
U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,739
U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,362
The predominant teachings of the Patents listed above pertain to hitches that are centered for locking by longitudinal forces between hitch elements that result from 27 towing or backing of the trailer. Each Patent has merit and some disadvantage in accomplishing the objectives as 29 will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
It is an object of this invention to provide a trailer hitch that is usable on either a towed or towing vehicle, that is extensible and retractable, and laterally swingable, when coupling two vehicles and automatically lockable in a preselected position by the act of driving the towing vehicle forward.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification, including the attached claims and appended drawings.